Sink retaining means



Nov. 14, 1961 H. J. EYNON 3,008,149

SINK RETAINING MEANS Filed Dec. 11, 1958 lab 1777/51? f U1" Ahmer (Z [mm/v lzii a, 5-

United States Patent 3,008,149 SINK RETAINING MEANS Harry J. Eynon, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., assignor to Lyon Incorporated, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 11, 1958, Ser. No. 779,694 6 Claims. (Cl. 4187) The present invention relates generally to a sink structure and more particularly to a new and improved technique for fastening a sink to a supporting structure such as a counter.

It is well known that there is a great deal of competition between sink manufacturers and the manufacturers are constantly seeking improvements which will give them a competitive advantage. Recently considerable emphasis has been placed upon providing means on the sink so that the sink may be more readily assembled with a counter structure. Formerly the installation of a sink required considerable skill since former techniques were both tedious and extremely diflicult to accomplish.

According to the present invention fastener structures are preassembled by the sink manufacturer on the sink so that when the sink leaves the factory it is ready for instantaneous assembly with a counter structure in a home merely by the rotation of a series of screws projecting downwardly from the underside of the sink. The installer only need lower the sink through the opening defined by the counter structure and then rotate the screws from underneath the sink to tightly clamp the sink in assembly with the counter structure.

More particularly, the present invention concerns a new and improved highly simplified fastener structure for clamping the outer margin of the sink to the counter. Each of the fastener structures is merely comprised of three elements including a swingable arm, a stove bolt, and an arm guide which is attached to the underside of the marginal flange structure of the sink.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved fastener structure enabling speedy installation of a sink with a counter structure with a minimum of effort.

Still another important object of the present invention relates to a fastener structure which may be readily manufactured with a minimum of material and labor expense.

A further object of the present invention relates to a new and improved fastener structure which may be readily secured to the underside of a sink by the sink manufacturer.

An important feature of the present invention relates to a fastener structure having a swingable arm which is swingable into and out of underlying relation with respect to a counter merely by the rotation of a bolt disposed at the underside of the counter and which swingable arm may be moved vertically to clamp the sink in assembly with the counter.

Other objects and features of the present invention will more fully become apparent in view of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating therein several embodiments and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a sink structure with a fastener structure being indicated in dotted lines;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line IIIIII of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged isometric view of the fastener structure by itself.

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As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 8 in FIGURE 1 indicates generally a sink structure which sink structure includes a counter 9 and a sink 10. The sink 10 is illustrated as a double-bowl type sink including bowls 11 and 12 which bowls are separated by a partition rib 13. The bowls 11 and 12 are provided with discharge outlets 11a and 12a.

The counter or supporting structure may be of any suitable type and as shown is of a laminated construction having a wood layer 9a and a heat-resistant synthetic plastic layer 9b. In accordance with present day practices the counter 9 is provided with a central opening 9c through which the sink 10 is adapted to be tele scoped.

When the sink 10 is telescoped through the opening 9c the sink 10 rests upon the counter 9 by means of its marginal flange structure 14. The marginal flange structure 14 includes an annular-rounded flange portion 14a, a terminal flange portion 14b, and a. counter-engaging edge 140.

According to the present invention, the sink is provided with a series of fasteners or fastener structures or fastener means 15, each of which are preferably assembled with the sink by the sink manufacturer so that the sink may be shipped and sold in condition for immediate installation.

Each of the fasteners 15 include an arm guide 16, screw means here shown as a stove bolt 17, and a swingable arm 18, the arm guide 16 comprising means for preventing the swingable arm from rotating with the stove bolt 17. i

The arm guide 16 is illustrated as being comprised of a pair of pieces of metal 16' and 16". The piece 16' comprises an attachment portion or attaching bracket including pairs of stepped flanges 16a and 16b which pairs are joined together by a base flange 160. The flanges 16a, 16a are arcuate to correspond to the configuration of the sink portion 14a. The flanges 16a are adapted to be welded to the sink marginal flange structure 14 as is indicated at 19 in FIGURE 2. The aforesaid flanges 16a, 16b and cooperate with the marginal flange structure 14 and together define a recess 20 in which a head portion 17a of the bolt 17 is lodged. It will be appreciated that when the fastener structure is in assembly with the sink the bolt 17 may not be removed and therefore accidental displacement of the bolt relative to the other components of the fastener structure is precluded. The reason for this is that the head portion 17a is lodged within the recess 20 while a threaded shank portion 17b is extended-through an opening (FIGURE 2) in the flange 16c as well as a flange 16e.

The arm guide or L-shaped portion 16 includes a vertical or axial guide flange portion or tongue 16d and the generally horizontal or radial guide flange portion or arm guide flange 16e which portion 16a is welded at 161 in assembly with base flange 160.

The swingable arm 18 includes a radially extending arm portion 18a which has its opposite ends or angled swingable arm ends turned axially relative to the head 17a of the bolt 17. These ends serve different functions and are identified at 18b and 18c. The gripping extremity or end 18b has teeth or edges 18d which are adapted for biting engagement with the underneath surface of the counter 9. The radially extending armportion 18a is provided with an annular edge 18e for engagement with the threads arm the shank 17b, the edge 18a defining a hole for the receipt of the stove bolt 17. Annular or turned arm edge 18, defines an arm slot through which axial guide flange portion or tongue 16d is telescoped to prevent the swingable arm from rotating with the rotation of the stove bolt 17. The arm edges 18a and 18f cooperate together to prevent cocking or movement of the counter-engaging end 1% axially away from the counter and also operate to maintain the swingable arm 18 in assembly with the bolt 17.

After the fastener structure 15 has been assembled with the sink in the manner previously described, and after the sink structure has been telescoped relative to the sink opening 9c in the manner previously described, a screwdriver is engaged with slot 170 on bolt 17 and by turning or rotating the bolt 1'7 the swingable arm 18 may be moved circumferentially of the bolt 17 into and out of underlying relation with respect to the counter 9 so that the fastener structure will not interfere with the assembly or removal of the sink 10 with respect to the counter 9. As the swingable arm 18 is rotated the arm edge :18 defining the arm slot is aligned axially with respect to the axial guide flange portion 16a in a manner whereby the axial guide flange portion 16d is engaged with the arm slot 18f and the swingable arm is permitted while underlying the sink to move vertically toward the enlarged head portion 17a to cause the sink 10 to be clamped in assembly with the counter 9.

By reversing the aforesaid procedure, the swingable arm may be disengaged from the underneath side of the counter 9 and then moved circumferentially relative to the bolt 17 and out of underlying relation with respect to the counter so that the sink 10 may be removed from the counter if desired.

Any suitable number of the fastener structures may be provided on the sink 10 and excellent results may be attained where, for example, ten fastener structures are employed.

In view of the foregoing description it will now be appreciated how readily the instant sink 10 may be assembled with respect to the counter merely by utilizing a screw driver to turn the swingable arm into underlying position with respect to the counter and then into engaged relation with the underside of the counter. Also, the sink 10 may be readily removed from the counter by merely reversing the procedure. Still further, the simple construction of the instant fastener structure is of a type which readily enables the fastener structures to be manufactured at a low expense and on a large scale.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sink structure with the sink having an outer marginal flange structure, a plurality of fastener means having attachment brackets disposed below the marginal flange structure and mounted on an underside of the sink adjacent the juncture of the outer marginal flange structure and the sink bowl for rigidly securing the sink in assembly with a counter, a bolt carried by and suspended from each attachment bracket and with the bolt having a threaded shank, a swingable arm carried in threaded assembly with said threaded shank of said bolt, and an arm guide fixedly mounted on the fastener means, the

swingable arm having means engaged with the arm guide to prevent swinging of the arm as the bolt is turned.

2. In a sink structure of claim 1 further characterized by having an arm guide flange at one end attached to said attachment bracket and disposed in generally parallel relation with respect to the bolt.

3. The sink structure of claim 2 further characterized by the arm guide and the swingable arm and the attachment bracket comprising three pieces of thin gauge metal connected together by said bolt.

4. In a sink structure of claim 1 further characterized by the swingable arm having a slot defined by an arm edge and with the arm guide being engageable in said slot with said arm edge.

5. In a fastener means for use with a sink, said fastener means having an attachment bracket for attachment to an underside of a sink, a bolt telescoped through a hole in said attachment bracket in assembly with the attachment bracket and with the bolt having a threaded shank underlying the bracket, a swingable arm carried in threaded assembly with said threaded shank of said bolt, and an arm guide fixedly extending from said fastener means, the swingable arm having edge means engaged with the arm guide, said swingable arm having an angled swingable arm end provided with a counter engaging edge for biting engagement with a counter.

6. In a sink structure with the sink having an outer marginal flange structure, a plurality of fastener means having attachment brackets disposed below the marginal flange structure and mounted on an underside of the sink adjacent the juncture of the outer marginal flange structure and the sink bowl for rigidly securing the sink in assembly with a counter, a bolt carried by and suspended from each attachment bracket and With the bolt having a threaded shank, a swingable arm carried in threaded assembly with said threaded shank of said bolt, and an arm guide fixedly mounted on each fastener means, the swingable arm having means engaged with the arm guide to prevent swinging of the arm as the bolt is rotated, said swingable arm having an angled swingable arm end provided with a counter engaging edge directed toward the flange structure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 187,421 Schwartz Feb. 13, 1877 1,491,394 Griffith et a1 Apr. 22, 1924 1,826,817 Olley et al. Oct. 13, 1931 2,004,006 McKeon June 4, 1935 2,147,950 Murphy Feb. 21, 1939 2,582,816 Bonnell Ian. 15, 1952 2,584,581 Harris Feb. 5, 1952 2,800,247 Appleton July 23, 1957 2,843,855 Hammer July 22, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES Redi-Rim, pages 34 and 35 of Domestic Engineering, August 1957. Copy in Div. 58. 

